Guide for spending midsem breaks

Long due this one but I just wanted to pen down all what has been happening in the month of March each year since 2022 and it's pretty crazy.

So for context, each year we get a week long holiday post midsem (or a month later) at the time of holi, which is alright for anyone who wants to go home. Being a holi hater, I didn't though.

So we came to college in the December of 2021, cut to March 2022, I was already excited to go somehwhere with all the friends in college post the Jaipur thing, although that didn't work out. There was a super impromptu idea of me being in Banglore and going out with my cousins to Coorg (recreating Tripling iykyk). That turned out to be beautiful, for the first time I traveled alone and under circumstances which people did not really like back home. Was it worth it? Totally. Speaking of Coorg, that place is just too beautiful. Plus it was cold, rainy, and all the peaceful monasteries and stuff around those made the whole experience even better. It was an amazing cousins trip altogether. I was pretty naive in all the planning and thinking through a trip but thanks to Lisha I was just being carried haha.

Cut to the absolute avalance of a decision and the breaks of 2023, I decided to go on a solo trip. To anyone having second thoughts, I recommend going on a solo trip once in your life for sure. Ideally, a week long travel would suffice, anything beyond is just a bit too much, although I did the latter. You enjoy your time to the fullest there but then there's a time when you just want to talk to someone close to you and tell them all you did throughout the day, only realising you're alone or with a bunch of first year Amity retards (more on them later).

So, I decided going to Mcleodganj and places around, and it was so beautiful to start with. Spent a day in Delhi (not recommended), took my first overnight bus, reached a hostel expecting no one to talk to and stuff, and the first thing you hear is people playing the Lumineers (still jealous of Isabella) in their cafe, you natually tend to talk and there, you made your first friend. Cut to getting to your room, meeting super cool people, touring around with them, getting so much on the perspective of travel in general. It is a bit risky I'd say as I was lucky enough to have such amazing roommates there (thanks Jay, Jayanth and Siva) you can face a situation which is the exact opposite, although I was prepared for that as well. The place is just too pretty to describe in words, I might put up some pictures here for that. More on the solo travel bit, once you travel alone, you can be anyone you want to (don't be a jerk though). Don't hesitate in experimenting with stuff, travelling to Dharamkot on Holi is still one of the craziest things I did so far, these Israeli refugees are there just for living. Made an friend over breakfast (by talkiing about 3D printing???) and 5 hours later we were paragliding after signing each other's consent form, big time lmao but James is amazing!

Did some more of Palampur and areas around, ending in Bir, and it was the perfect way to end the trip for sure. Sitting in the amazing Zostel, playing pool for hours, listening to how people met their soulmates, being a barista for 2 hours straight, it was all so pretty. Although, the roommates I had in Bir was just unacceptable (in Sainz voice). 7 Amity freshers playing dumb charades on your head, trying to socialize over school. I mean I think I am too old for that. Oh one of them had a startup idea too, almost became the co-founder before telling him to study and stop this duckery.

Cut to the return, one advice, be SUPER careful at Kashmiri Gate or don't come through Kashmiri Gate at all. Everything was so perfect and went exactly how I planned, loved my plannig skills only until I land in Old Delhi (pathetic place) and got my new phone snatched. Now for anyone who wants to prepare for such a situation, don't do an FIR. It is liteally a waste of time in Delhi, better get out the place and find a new phone, if you can't, just hope yo get out of the place unharmed, that's a big win in itself. Anyways, that was traumatizing, the whole experience. Could not sleep for weeks. But as someone super amazing once said, "We call that an accident after trip and not part of the trip." Learned a lot tbh.

Solo trips are awesome not gonna lie. Do it once, for the vibes. Get out of it alive, that's the only condition for me.

Cut to the final year adventure, explored a lot of Rajasthan with the boys. In the name of being in the Priime of our Youth, we covered 10-11 places in 10 days. And it was mad, but Rajasthan as a destination is pretty interesting in my opinion. So summarizing what all Rajasthan has, a desert, mountains, lakes, random cursed palaces just because the Rani was hot and a Tantrik liked her, cursed villages, underwater treasures which are now above water (look up for Jaisalmer's glass and rocks, lol) and what not. It is pretty fun to travel like that although it might get very exhausting later, and you might end up ruining your hair after the trip.

In conclusion, you can do a whole lot of things if you just decide to not spend holi with family (which is also great) since this is the time. Take some risks!